Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to connection devices for interconnecting spaced electric components whereby one component may be operated remotely by actuation of the other.
Such devices for operating one electric component remotely by actuating a second electric component are known. One type of such device recently developed, shown in FIG. 1 and generally identified by reference numeral 39, interconnects an operation component 40 having a push button actuator and a switch component 41. The switch component 41 may be located within a chassis and the operation component 40 secured to a panel of the chassis. The connection device includes a slide member movable by actuation of the push button actuator to operate a sliding switch contact connected indirectly to the inner end of the slide member.
Such connection devices are generally constructed, as shown in FIG. 2, by inserting the slide member 5, typically made of a resilient synthetic resin, through a guide member 1 often made of a resilient synthetic resin and having a generally flat tubular shape. The opposing major surfaces of the guide member each have a plurality of windows 3 and bridge portions 4 formed between the longitudinal edge portions 2, or alternatively, the guide member may be constructed as shown in FIG. 3 by inserting a slide member 17 through a guide member 10 formed by a plurality of guide elements 11 interconnected by resilient metal wires 16 extending through the edge portions 12 on the respective sides of the guide elements 11. The guide elements 11 are shaped so as to generally correspond to the sections taken alone line C--C' and line D--D' of FIG. 2A. Put differently, each guide element 11 includes a window 13 flanked by bridge portions 15 and a recessed portion 14 opening laterally. A further alternative device is shown in FIG. 4, wherein a slide member 25 made from a resilient metal plate extends through a guide member 21 formed by pressing a resilient metal strap to push out the surfaces between the edge portions 22 to form a plurality of windows 23 and bridge portions 24. In each of these devices, the bridge portions on one side of the guide member alternate with those on the other.
Irrespective of whether they were made from a synthetic resin material or metal plates, however, the slide members are often formed by cutting a wide plate to a predetermined width by means of a slitter, often giving rise to the development of burrs on the cut surfaces. Therefore, when the slide members were inserted or slid in guide members having bridge portions and windows or recessed portions, any burrs on either edges of the slide member tended to be caught by the edges of the bridge portions of the guide member, particularly if the device did not follow a straight line path between the electric components. Consequently, the slide member could not often be slid smoothly, and the operation tended to require more than the desired force.